The Little Things
by Alice In Eden
Summary: A new addition to a side unheard! Who exactly keeps Ouran Academy in tip-top condition? Meet the new OC's, and one in particular: a neighborhood friend of Haruhi! No pairings quite yet. Alice In Eden desperately hopes you guys like this, because it's her first attempt at fanfiction...also, apparently, talking in third-person. Err... Read and Review!
1. The Beginning

**_Chapter One_**

**_The Beginning_**

* * *

_The girls' green eyes flickered to the large chandelier situated high above her._

"Ooh, so extravagant!" I exclaimed, using my hand to shield my eyes from the tiny bedazzling sparkles radiating off the crystals and what-not.

The prior silence caused my voice to reverberate off the walls, and, in response, I squeaked. "I'm not sure if I should feel like a princess or a mouse in a fancy place like this." I muttered to myself, lifting the mop from the bucket. It landed on the marble floors with a ka-plop, and suds slid across it. "Geez, when they said Ouran was ridiculous, I never imagined…"

I lazily swished the mop over the wet area of the floor. The black scuff marks would need to be manually scrubbed with a scrub brush, which I very well knew would take hours (due to the damned size of the single ballroom). I guess I should start from the beginning, though...

**~Three Days Prior~**

"She looks like she hasn't worked a day in her life!" The secretary scoffed. He was a tall, scrawny man with a pointy nose and thin lips. His black hair was greased back with hair gel, and his skin was slightly paler than the norm.

"Of course she hasn't! She's sixteen, so what! You wouldn't see a twenty-something with as much potential as this one!" As if to clarify, the social-worker held up one of my arms. "She has strong arms, a strong back, and a stronger determination. Once she gets into the routine of this place, she is a very diligent and hard-worker, and she'll give you what you pay for." This made me feel like an old, POS that a shady cars salesman was trying to sell. This was the exact impression I had gotten off the man when we first met.

I need to be appreciative. The old fool had gotten me an interview (through contrived bullshitting and shady lies, yes) but it was a start! Anybody else assigned to me would have most likely failed to do even that, and I probably would have been cast out to fend for myself. In the most blatant actuality, I was seventeen (which makes my likelihood of success slim to none), but the salesman, ahem social worker, claimed that working on peoples' pity and/or pride reaped better results. Therefore, for that brief moment in which the thin, tall secretary reviewed my papers, I was sixteen.

**~Yesterday~**

_Room 219?_

"Hmpfh." The secretary ruffled his feathers as I entered the office with plush, white carpet. The ceiling, which had a beautiful mural made everything else in the room look tacky. I figured he noticed me staring in dumbfounded awe, since he cleared his throat again. He stood up from his black, office chair, and motioned me to exit the room.

"What's your name again?" He asked.

"Uh, Yukino Yamamoto, but my friends just call me Yuki."

He adjusted his half-glasses. "It's a pleasant fact that I'm not your friend." He responded. "Follow me this way."

_What's up his ass?_

"Ah, Mr. Kuze, is there anything I can do for you today?" He asked in a delightful and sugar-laced tone upon exiting the room. The boy (His High Majesty, Mr. Kuze) glanced down to me. He was very attractive – with mysterious, dark brown eyes and short blond hair. He was wearing a football jersey, which seemed unnusual. He gave a wave of his hand, and Mr. Uptight smiled. "Ah, right away, Sir!" He made a dramatic exit, pulling me away.

He finally acknowledged me (his honorary shadow) with an irritated scowl (remembering, perhaps, that I was still here). He continued walking, taking long strides which I barely kept up with.

"So, uh, what's your name?" I asked, attempting to make small-chat.

He abruptly turned on his heel to face me. I skidded to a stop. "Listen, Ms. Yamamoto, do not take this personally, but I will make one thing perfectly clear: we aren't friends."

I feigned disappointment. "Oh and here I thought we'd really hit it off." I muttered, adding a soft giggle when his nose scrunched together.

"Sarcasm does not work in this profession, Ms. Yamamoto." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, smoothing the scrunches. "If you must know, my name is Yue. You'll hear my name quite a lot over the next few weeks you'll be here. I am the coordinator of all the hiring and firing done at Ouran Academy, so, if you want to keep your job, you'll need to stay on my good side."

"I'm sure I'll only hear the best, but I intend on working here longer than a few weeks, Yue-san." I admitted, and he raised a single, thinly plucked eyebrow.

"Your confidence might keep you here a month, a month and a half, tops, but I suppose you're right. Where else would someone like you have to go?" He sighed. _Someone like me?_ "This is a dead-end job, however, so, in your better interests, it would be wise if you made your escape attempts sooner rather than later."

"I thought sarcasm wasn't allowed in this 'profession'." I remarked.

His eyebrow twitched. "I was not being sarcastic. Perhaps you noticed my behavior towards Kuze-san earlier."

"Well, I…observed…it. You seemed a little…tense, Yue-san."

Yue let out a huff of refined indignation. "Ah, yes, well studying for four, long years in business management leads me to this marble prison, which I have remained in for ten, dutiful years, putting all of my blood, sweat, and tears into hiring only those with the most pristine records. That would make one a 'little tense,' hmm? Have I ever received a promotion? No. Have I ever received a thank you for all my efforts? No. These tarts, rather, students require the upmost amount of-,"

"Butt kissing?" I imposed.

"-respect." He corrected. "And if they so wish, they can piss on all of your once credible degrees and send you directly to a behind the counter job at a local fast-food establishment! Ms. Yamamoto, do you want to routinely ask people 'do you want fries with that?'"

I held up my hands. If there came a time where Yue had to choose between murdering some snobby, rich kid and some forgettable orphan, I could well imagine where I was in the equation. "Uh, no… not really… Err, I don't know."

Yue ran his hand over his greased hair. During his rant, pieces of it had stuck up. He looked thoroughly stressed out. "I suppose you wouldn't understand." He said. "You quit school."

I pursed my lips. "That's irrelevant."

"An orphan who dropped out to pursue a job: what a strange occurrence indeed." Yue rolled his eyes. "You're lucky to even have a job, let alone one here. I don't respect quitters, and neither does this prestigious academy."

"Speaking of which, I am slightly curious as to why you hired me." I admitted.

Yue let out a breath. "The last person hired here was a young man in '96. He is serving a life sentence in prison for trying to steal a valuable piece of art from the school. He held a student hostage in his attempt to escape the authorities." Yue smoothed his hair. "Since then, the school has been… well, dealing with the services of our already present employees. The fear of losing their pensions keeps them here, and you are the first person this school has hired in ten years. When the higher-ups agreed, I wasn't going to very well turn down the opportunity to bring someone actually useful onto this campus. Although I fear I have made a terrible mistake..."

"But wouldn't that make the people already working here old?" I wondered. _He sure is "friendly." _I thought to myself.

"Many of us are in our mid-to-late forties, some even older, although with others it's hard to tell – the ladies in the kitchen will vouch for that." Yue smiled. "Speaking of which, I happened to be the youngest before your arrival."

"Huh, I never would have guessed."

He straightened his tie. "I am unsure if you were actually attempting rudeness or simply saying what was on your mind."

I frowned. _So he can dish it, but he can't take it?!_ "Sorry. I just feel a lot of additional pressure which was not mentioned in the interview…"

Yue cleared his throat. "Hmpfh, I could say the same about your attempts at falsifying your age. Let us make haste towards your room."

"That was not me-! Wait... M-My room?" My eyes widened. "I had no idea that I…"

"It was one of the requirements your social worker mentioned." He interrupted me. He smirked. "For a moment I felt as though I were dealing with a princess. The school has made accommodations for your stay, and they are more comfortable having you on the grounds anyway. That is, until the time in which you prove your trustworthiness."

"It sounds fishy." I grumbled.

"You should be appreciative, even if it is just for a short time."

**~That Night~**

"Appreciative, huh?" I wondered. I forced the window to open, and a breeze swept through the dusty room. I coughed, using a tissue to cover my nose. Boxes were piled high on any and all livable space, and the mattress was just that – a mattress with a broken spring sticking out of it. Potting soil lay, collapsed, on the floor, and broken flower pots sat, covered in spider webs, in the corner.

The small house was rather spacious (even in its current condition). I loved that it was nestled in the rose hedge garden. It had supposedly been a place for the gardening club to meet, before they disbanded and computerized farming games became a lot more charming.

I collapsed onto the couch, which leaned to the side, because of a broken leg. I pulled a cigarette – my last one – from its carton and twiddled it in between my fingers. Before I knew it, I had started crying. Not just silent sniffles, but loud sobs. I clutched at my quilt (the only thing which I had brought with me from the orphanage), and used it to wipe away the many tears which were rolling down my cheeks and into my lap.

_I am officially alone._

* * *

_**~Alice in Eden**_


	2. A World Which Doesn't Exist

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club**_

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

_**A World Which Doesn't Exist**_

* * *

_At times when the green eyed girl was alone as a child, she'd always imagine herself in a world where her parents were; an imaginary duo who loved her in an imaginary home which always smelled like home-cooked meals. It was a world where she felt complete, and it was, consequently, not in an orphanage. What child actually wants to have no one? She resented anyone who had a family they didn't want. The green eyed girls' dreams consisted of this: A world which doesn't exist, with a silhouetted family she would never know._

* * *

I woke up that morning with a horrible crick in my neck, on that couch which leaned to the side and in that room which smelled like potting soil and moldy cardboard boxes. A spider hovered above me, and due to my half-asleep state, I didn't attempt to swat at him with my slipper. We just stared at each other. It was nice: knowing that I wasn't the only thing in that small, dirty cottage.

I sighed. "I know exactly how you feel. Just hanging there. No one tries to pull you up. And everyone doesn't like you because you're an eight-legged freak." I muttered. He began to climb up his silken rope. "We can't all do that… Little bastard…" I was almost positive he stuck his tongue out at me (although I'm also positive spiders don't have tongues). "Why you…" He was gone.

I sat up, and rolled my neck to the side. It crunched, and I let out a sigh of relief.

_I must have fallen asleep. What time is it…?_

I noticed a tea pot sat on the dirty oven, and a fire crackled underneath it. The boxes that had once covered the entire kitchen area were on the floor. I lifted in the pot up by its handle. It was warm. "What in the…?"

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake."

I whipped around, holding the kettle in my hands, accidentally emptying the contents. I don't know why… maybe there was some special way to use it as a weapon. The man who stood in front of me was a gruff individual; with white whiskers and receding black hair. He wore a slate gray jumpsuit with a utility belt around his waist. He didn't at all seem surprised by my reaction. He butted out a cigar in a small ashtray on the yellow counter.

"Yue said you were odd. But, then again, he doesn't necessarily have anything nice to say about anybody." The man chuckled. "The name's Tanaka." He held out his hand, which I didn't accept. "Ah, I picked up on a lot of American behaviors." He motioned to the bathroom around the corner. The last time I looked, the bathtub was covered with grime and the toilet had a non-flushable surprise. "I turned on the water and electric here, so you can use it now." He muttered awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck, obviously waiting for me to respond.

"Yes, I can see that, Tanaka-sama." I motioned to the crackling fire on the stovetop.

"Tanaka-sama was my father. Kid, just call me Tanaka." He muttered, scratching at his unshaven whiskers. He looked around the room. "I never imagined the school would let this place get as bad as it is now. Then again, I suppose it's a piece of history. This building has been up since I started working here… uh, that's been a long time. Once it's cleaned up, you'll be able to see some of the tacky surfaces."

"I'm sure it matches the entirety of Ouran." I replied, still on edge. "Why exactly hasn't it been torn down and rebuilt?"

"Eh, people are a little afraid of tearing this place down." Tanaka sighed. He took the tea kettle out of my hand, refilled it (the water now lay in a puddle on the ground), and rested it back on the stove. When he got closer to me, I could smell the clove cigars he had been smoking, and it took me a moment to collect myself again.

"W-Why?" I pressed.

"Some kid claimed it's haunted." He grumbled. Goose bumps immediately rose onto my skin.

"Say what?" I, being a highly superstitious idiot, imagined a horrible evil spirit that preys on naughty children (stories of which were exchanged frequently in the orphanage). In other words, I was already pulling out my trusty, anti-Oni holly plant, and mentally adding, 'buy monkey statue with first paycheck.'

"This place was once the clubhouse for the gardening club." Tanaka continued. "But when computerized games came out, and actually being outside became a less popular pastime, the club disbanded and their clubhouse was abandoned. I guess the board still expects someone to start up a gardening club again."

I frowned. "That doesn't explain the 'haunted' issue." I remarked.

"I was just messing with you!" He laughed. It was a deep, boisterous sound, which made me want to laugh, too. "Yue will complain, I mean, explain the reasoning behind all that. Speaking of which, he needs to have a talk with you anyway."

"Is he upset with me?" I interrupted, my voice squeaking. _Oh, God. I can't be fired on my first day, can I?_

"He mentioned you don't let people finish talking. He just wants to set up your timecard, give you a uniform, etcetera, etcetera."

I blushed, a little embarrassed by my overreaction. I slid open the stiff curtain above the sink. My mouth fell open when I noticed how dark it was outside. "It's like the middle of the night!" I cried, and Tanaka glanced down to a watch on his wrist.

"Uh, four-thirty to be exact. By the time you're dressed, you'll have the light of sunrise."

* * *

**~Present Time~**

* * *

"Phew," I wiped the sweat off my brow, and stared at the shiny floors. It had taken me a large portion of my day, but I was done.

Two girls glided past me, and I couldn't help but admire them. They were elegant, and beautiful. Their yellow dresses swished in the air, reminding me of a princess' gown. I so desperately wanted to be in such a pretty thing. Well, anything but the scratchy brown potato sack jumpsuit Yue forced me to wear. It made me feel all the more slovenly and plain. They smiled, briefly, at me, and I returned the smile.

"She's so young…" One of them whispered.

"Who else would take a position as low as scrubbing floors?" The other wondered.

I silently looked into the bucket of water, and stared at my reflection. Pieces of my copper-colored hair stuck to my forehead, and the rest began to loosen from the greasy ponytail I had it in. I pulled my hair free, and the waves cascaded down my back. Okay, I exaggerate. The tangles begrudgingly _crawled_ down my back, parched of water as they got closer to the ends. Better?

I sighed, and prepared to pull my hair back up.

"It would be a shame for you to hide your beautiful curls." Someone behind me commented. I jumped, causing the bucket to fall over and splash into my lap. I jumped up, cursed, and turned around. "Did I startle you?" The gorgeous, blond-haired boy asked.

"I-I-I uh, well, n-no… maybe… uh…" _Quit blabbering, you idiot!_ "You did not. You did not. It's my fault…" _It really is. I have long limbs, which has me consistently tripping. Who AM I talking to? Err…_

He chuckled. "I thought your reaction was cute." He smiled. "You have quite a vocabulary."

My cheeks burned red. "I-I usually express myself much better," _Weird, I don't recall being born with a speech impediment, too… Quit stuttering! _"But you know how it is, right?"

The boys' eyebrows scrunched together. "Well, I can't say that I do." It literally took me all of three seconds to notice his fancy uniform, put two and two together, and literally slap my hand to my forehead.

"Oh, yeah, of course you wouldn't… You don't work here…" _Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot…_ "How can I help you, Mr.…?"

"My name is Suoh." He replied.

"Mr. Suoh." I bowed my head, the way Yue did. It was like conversing with aristocracy instead of a normal human being. "What can I do for you?"

Suoh used his fingers to lift my chin, and I was swept into his dazzling, violet eyes. I had once heard of an American actress with eyes like that. "You can start with leaving your hair down. It reminds me of leaves in autumn." He smiled. It's weird how uncomfortable I felt with him holding me as close as he was. You'd think I'd be swooning, but instead I felt like I was going to throw up.

I took a step back, and slipped on the puddle of water, falling on my butt. He stared at me, surprised. I hadn't realized I had shoved him away until I noticed that stare.

"Tamaki, what in the world are you doing in here?" His friend approached. He was also handsome, but in a different way. He had this very…collected exterior, which gave him a mysterious look. He didn't even acknowledge me.

Suoh held out his hand to me. I was blinking back tears. Falling on your behind in front of a cute guy isn't exactly the most uplifting thing to your self-esteem. "Princess, are you alright?" He asked, lifting me back to my feet. I was screaming profanities in my head. I forced myself to smile.

"Yes, I'm okay." The dark-haired boy was staring, intently, at me now, but I gave him a piece of his own medicine by not acknowledging his presence. "I must get a sign, so no one else slips." I said quickly.

Suoh nodded. "Well, I must also be leaving." I turned to walk away, but his friendly voice (that and his hand, which was still enveloped in mine) caught me again, "I did not catch your name."

_What if he reports me to Yue? I can't lie to him, though…_ "M-My name…?" I bit the inside of my cheek. "My name is, well, Yuki." I finally said.

Suoh frowned, as though my name didn't suit his tastes. His friend nudged him, and the two turned in the opposite direction, returning to their prosperous lives again. The warmth of his hand left mine and I brought it close to my chest. I watched them, thinking about how lucky they were. They didn't have to clean this stinking rotten ballroom. Hell, they wouldn't have to work a day in their fruitful lives.

_They have a mother and a father._ The source of my jealousy, I realized.

The praise I received from Suoh turned into something dark and sarcastic and cynical, as any compliments I received always did. Especially ones concerning my eyes or hair; characteristics of which I'd never know their originators. I squeezed my hands together. _Not everything has a purpose, you know? Not everything needs a beginning… _A flock of doves flew past the large window, creating small shadows on the marble floor.

I stared, mesmerized, by their freedom. For that brief moment, everything felt at peace – all of my doubts and worries and resentments disappeared. The mean thing about reality, though, is that it always pulls you back to Earth. I slipped on that stupid, sudsy puddle again.

* * *

**~Alice in Eden**

Hello peeps. So, I wanted to explain some things: 1) The Holly Plant flower and a monkey statue are said to ward off evil Japanese spirits (Oni). 2) This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but it's 1AM and I'm friggin tired and also know that us teenagers have the attention spans of gnats. Forgive me? 3) Yuki is a really difficult character to write. She's lonely but also thinks the worse of those who try to get closer to her. She's so cynical and whiney. Ugh, at times I just want to stab her to death... :3 Well, that's all.

Just Watched: The Secret World of Arrietty

Listened to: Clannad Album

Petted: My Cat (take this as you wish)

Eating: Sleeping pills...nom...nom...nom. Good night, guys.


	3. Vases, Glasses, Cell Phones, Oh My!

**Chapter Three**

**Vases, Glasses, Cell phones, Oh My!**

* * *

"_Haruhi, that's the ugliest phone I've ever seen!" The green eyed girl taunted, playfully. She was ten at the time._

_The eight year-old brunette shrugged, carelessly. "It's just for emergencies."_

"_As long as you're with me, Haru-chan, I'll make sure that nobody hurts you!"_

"_Dad got it for me because of you."_

_Why doesn't your dad like me? These words were never spoken by the green-eyed girl. The brunette's bluntness was something she had gotten used to, even though it hurt her feelings a lot of times._

_The brunette squeezed her hand. "He worries about you, you know? Please take care of yourself, Yuki-san. Promise?"_

_The green eyed girl could feel tears collecting in her eyes. She nodded. "Okay, I promise."_

* * *

"What?!" I demanded. "I thought my shift ended at 2:30, Yue-san! My pants are damp!" I whined.

Yue pinched his lips together, a sure sign that he wasn't pleased (I had already gotten used to all of his expressions; and it felt like we had known each other for a very long time).

"Your first day and you're already acting like an ungrateful little ingrate." He let out a long, melodramatic sigh, and turned his back to me. "Your co-workers already left for today…lazy bastards… I suppose you don't have to do it… I mean, this job and the generous home you have must not be that important to you."

* * *

_That son of a bitch._ I thought to myself as I skulked down the hallway

Everything around me was so nicely decorated – marble statues and extravagant paintings. It outmatched anything I had ever seen before in my life (and subsequently made my cottage, on the same grounds, look like a heaping pile of shit). But I couldn't enjoy this experience, because I was too worked up over Yue being a stupid-head.

"It really is your fault, though." I said to myself. "You shouldn't have been so rude towards him." _But then I again, I really did have a long day today... He should have been nicer to me. _I begrudgingly pushed the matter to the corner of my mind, intent on mulling over it later and shoving it back down Yue's smart mouth.

_Music Room #3…_ I looked up and saw the golden-plated sign only a few doors down. "If it's abandoned, why is there a mess?" I wondered, quickening my pace. I could hear motion on the inside, mostly female voices and soft, classical music. I grasped the golden door knob, and pushed it open. When I entered, I saw… The Host Club?

"I see that you took your time. I asked for service nearly an hour and a half ago." A smooth, recognizable voice spoke from behind me. I had been too busy admiring all of my surroundings. I quickly turned around, and there he was. The piece of…work…who had ignored me earlier in the ballroom. He didn't even smile.

"I'm sorry… I, uh, got lost." I lied. I absentmindedly twirled one of my strands of hair. _I hate to admit it, but I left it down like that Suoh boy said._ "Was there anything you-,"

"Right this way." He interrupted, striding towards an area in the center of the room. Blue shards were in a small pile on the ground. A small green jewel lay amongst it all.

"Oh no…" I mumbled, picking it up. I caressed the emerald stone with my fingertips… _It's so pretty._ The spectacled boy snatched it out of my hands, and pocketed it.

"The rest of the vase is worthless. Dispose of it." He ordered.

I blinked at him. _Wow… This guy makes Yue look like a gentleman!_ "Um, okay." I responded. I uncomfortably rubbed my arm when he didn't leave.

"Well?" He pressed.

"I…" He was eyeing me like a hawk, and this made me very uncomfortable. "I was just curious how this happened… So, I can explain to my supervisor."

The boy adjusted his glasses, an action I found extremely disconcerting, since it brought attention to a small, hardly noticeable flaw: On one of the lenses, there was a small smudge of grime. Having never worn glasses in my life, I could only imagine that a person who did wear such a thing on a regular basis would even notice it. But it sure as heck bothered me… and, due to my one-track mind, I didn't hear a word he said.

"Oh, it's the autumn princess!" Exclaimed a far more approachable voice. Suoh trotted towards me like an arrogant show horse. "In my club! What an honor!" He grasped my hands. I couldn't help but crack a nervous smile. "Oh my, you have such dry hands! _(Thus relieving me of my smile)_ Do not tell me you've been over-worked, Princess! Please, do make yourself at home! Kyoya, did you invite her?"

Kyoya, the spectacled boy, smiled at his friend. _He must have mood swings, or something._ I decided, considering he had just attempted to glare me to death. "Tamaki, I was unaware you had taken such an interest in this commoner." He replied to the string of questions, ever so eloquently.

_Why is Suoh calling me princess, and his…jerk of a friend calling me commoner?_ "Have you already forgotten my name?" I asked, once again ignoring Kyoya. I didn't mean for it to come off surly, but it must have sounded that way because Suoh Tamaki became very perplexed.

"I, uh, well… it… is… let me see…"

I smiled. "It's Yuki. My name, that is." I replied.

"Ah, yes, Yuki!" Tamaki exclaimed. "I remember now!" He pursed his lips. "It's rather unsuitable for you."

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at his bluntness. "How so?" I asked, curiously.

He sighed, dramatically. "It would be too difficult to explain. All that can be said regarding the matter is the fault of your parents. They did not take the time to give you a more befitting name for your surreal autumn beauty." He commented. I lowered my eyes to the ground, and gritted my teeth together. Before he noticed, I quickly looked up and smiled.

"Heh, I guess you're right." I giggled. Kyoya gave me a nasty, displeased look, before dismissing himself to far more important and anal-retentive duties.

"Tamaki, she must finish her work." He mentioned. "Leave her be."

Tamaki consented with a solemn nod. "Princess, please visit me here again. And do not neglect yourself." He pecked the top of my hand with his lips.

I forced another smile. "Uh, sure, okay…" He nodded his head once more, before proceeding to a loveseat. The adjacent girls greeted him all at once, and he kissed each of their hands, in the same manner he did mine.

I laughed. _What a "sweetheart"! Still, it's nice to have 'surreal autumn beauty.'_ This made me laugh more. Some stole glances in my direction, but others, like Kyoya, didn't even acknowledge me.

"How many times do I have to say it…? It's coffee." A familiar voice stated, and I swallowed my next laugh so hard, it nearly choked me. _H-Haruhi… Oh… crap…_ I ducked behind a pillar, fast enough that the short-statured brunette who skulked by didn't notice me.

"But it doesn't taste anything like coffee!" Two boys with hair even brighter red than my own whined. She huffed, and quickly continued towards the doors I had entered.

"Guys, this is a bad time." Haruhi snapped, surlier than ever. There was no doubt about, this was Haruhi Fujioka. The two pressed their lips together as she slammed the door in their faces.

"What a brat." They grumbled, and turned. Their amber-colored eyes met mine, and they exchanged mischievous grins. "Hey, you."

I pointed at myself. "Me?"

"Yeah, you." One of them mused.

"Do you want to play a game?" The other asked.

"W-What kind of game?" I smiled.

"It's a really cool game." They slithered around me, and leaned against either side of the pillar, preventing my escape. "All you have to do is guess which one is which."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun, but I don't even know your names." I remarked. They drew closer to me, and I could smell peppermint and cinnamon on either their breaths. It was quite an interesting combination, which caused my skin to shiver on one side and my face to redden on the other.

"My name's Hikaru." The one on my left said.

"And my name's Kaoru." The one on my right added. Both of them twirled around the pillar, and then twirled back in front of me. I have no idea where they got the hats, but they had them.

"Now, guess who is who!" They exclaimed.

I crossed my arms over my chest, attempting coyness (which ultimately fails, in my case). "How do I know that you aren't lying about your names? For all I know, you could be Hikaru," I pointed to one of them. "And you could be Kaoru." I pointed to the other.

"You got it wrong." They grumbled. I grinned.

"Oh, yay! That means I got it right!" I clapped my hands. "It was a fluke, though, so it doesn't really count."

"You got it wrong." They reiterated, and returned to the group of girls awaiting their return. _Wow? Why does it matter so much to them?_

Kyoya appeared in my line of sight, still looking as morose and dignified as before. I flinched upon noticing his expression: 'Get to work now or your next task will be digging a grave. _Your grave_.' He clarified, somehow in my enlightened thoughts.

I tightened my hands around my broom. _He really needs to take a shit._

'I heard that.'

?!

* * *

"You sure took a long time." Yue griped, tapping his pen repeatedly against his mahogany desk. "Time is of the essence, Yamamoto."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." I rolled my eyes, and held up the trash bag. "It was just a broken vase."

"They broke another one?" He gaped. "Do those brats realize how much trouble I went to order that for the auction?"

"It looked expensive." I responded. "Before they shattered it."

He paled. "It was. Very expensive." He pinched the bridge of his narrow nose. "This time, I do not intend on reimbursing them. Every time it's a new excuse: one of their guests tripped; the employees moving furniture or cleaning accidentally knocked it over; a stray dog got onto the campus; it was broken when they got there… I can't wait to hear this one."

I frowned. "Why do you have to worry about that? It's their problem."

"Ugh, it doesn't matter." He replied. He held up one of his long, slender fingers, and wagged it in the air. "I have one more assignment for you." He said in a sing-song voice, which made it obvious he enjoyed his job.

I sighed, "What now?"

His lip curled up, although it wasn't really a smile. More like an all-knowing smirk. "Being forthcoming, are we?"

My cheeks reddened, and I muttered, "Not in a million years."

"Speaking of occurrences not quite timely, some moron dropped his belongings in the pond. I'd ask Tanaka to do it, but then I'd actually feel a little remorse for doing so." He drawled.

"So, you ask me instead?" My head throbbed. "I feel so blessed, Yue-san."

Yue held up a fishnet in front of me. "You should!" _Does he even know what sarcasm is?_ "It's the one that has the…urinating boy." He ended the conversation with a grandiose smile which made me want to smack him.

* * *

"Looks like somebody already did the job for me." I smirked upon noticing the pond, vacant of anything but water and algae. The sun was already setting in the sky, meaning that it was ramen time! I rubbed my tummy. The last time I ate was… yesterday afternoon. "Ah! I can feel my ribs!" I fake-sobbed.

Something shiny reflected off the light – maybe some yen, perhaps? _Ooh, my precious ramen..._ I thought. I reached out for the metallic object.

"Wasn't Honey-senpai so cute?!" A shrill voice demanded. I nearly fell into the pond, but managed to regain my footing beforehand.

"Phew, that was close." I smiled. A manicured hand shoved me from behind, and I fell.

_Splash!_

"Hey!" I barked when I resurfaced. The maroon-haired girl who had obviously pushed me glared down at me.

"Don't talk to Tamaki again, got it?" She warned in an aristocratic tone which didn't suit the occasion. I didn't respond, and she simply smiled, meanly. "You're disgusting." It was the last thing she said before gliding off.

"Bitch." I muttered. I felt around, and my hand landed on the object I had been intently reaching for. I lifted it, and it was something I didn't expect at all. My eyes widened. "Oh what the Hell… Haruhi…" I stared at the extremely old wireless POS in my hand. "Why is your dinosaur phone here?"

* * *

**~Alice In Eden**

Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! When I saw the two reviews awaiting me in my email, though, I became so unbelievably happy, I did a little dance~! It was like winning an emmy! Eee~

So, one thing before I retire for the evening (it's 12:42AM) when I say 'head throbbed' it's basically my way of saying 'vein throbbing on forehead.' I hope that makes sense :3 I wanted to step out of the norm.

But what do you guys think so far? The whole introduction is a little melodramatic, long, and boring, and melodramatic, but it gets better~! Sing-song voice~!

Eating: Twix (technically finished it...give me a break. Bad joke?)

Watching: Something with Jack Nicholson.

Playing: Star Project (because I'm a dork T.T)


	4. Plan B: Avoid Haruhi at All Costs

**A/N:** Hullo and welcome to this next chapter! So, one of you (my beloved reader, whom I platonically love so much) asked when this story is being set. Well, at the very beginning, of course! As for it being set in the progression of the anime or manga, it's set in my "artistic license universe" (which is a fancy term for "I have no freaking idea" and "Please continue reading" - I plea this while groveling and kissing your rings). I'm kidding! Actually, I'm partly using the anime timeline as a reference for the progression of The Little Things. And I will strive to invite all the characters from the original series (both anime and manga) to The Little Things.

However, to clarify, the year is 2006 and the month is April (I apologize for not making that clear). The first three chapters were set from April 1st to April 5th. Cool sidenote: April 5th, 2006 is recognized in China as the Qingming Festival, or 'sweeping of tombs day.' I consider it relevant for Haruhi and Yuki (who both reflect over the loss of a loved one, or in Yuki's case the loss of what never could be – being the reason I called Chapter Two 'A World Which Doesn't Exist'). Oh, and Chapter One was set on April 4, 2006 (which, this year – err, 2012 – was the date of the Qingming Festival; I hope you guys swept your departed loved ones' tombstones!). Anyway, thank you for asking such a relevant question – I'm really forgetful sometimes…

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Plan B: Avoid Haruhi at All Costs**

* * *

_April 12, 2006_

I stared at the phone. When I first possessed it, I had thoroughly tried to convince myself it couldn't be Haruhi's and that the girlish young man I had seen in Music Room #3 was just a bizarre look-a-like. My first inclinations that that individual was actually Haruhi were wrong – they had to be! So, the matter is settled: my eyes deceived me, and I'm not crazy!

No, it's never that simple…

Over the next few days, I relentlessly stalked (as Yue ever so _delicately_ put it) the young man with the exact same name as my childhood friend. And, still, I deemed it impossible to be her.

Haruhi was never the type to eat by herself in a classroom! She always had tons of her classmates flocking around her, either asking for homework help or dating advice (which she offered mercilessly, having no experience whatsoever with the opposite sex and finding the matter of their companionship time-occupying). I, of course, was two years ahead of her, but it never affected our friendship (embarrassingly because I frequently skipped classes to 1) harass Brain, erm Haruhi, or some other know-it-all who had the misfortune of being, well, intelligent, and/or 2) smoke behind the school, which had, consequently, been the reason I got kicked out, and, subsequently, became the next reason I inevitably ended my school career – by dropping out).

"You should just drop it." Tanaka grumbled as he messed with some of the wiring in my cottage. "It's interfering with your work. And you have a lot of better things to do. Hence, this house is a pigsty, and if Yue saw it, he'd probably kill himself."

I smirked (imagining the obsessively-organized, insufferable smart-ass using the loose wiring as a noose) and butted out my cigarette in the yellowed ash tray. "This isn't just something I can drop, you know?" I absentmindedly blew at the spider dangling above me. He rose up one of his legs, giving me his version of the finger, and began lackadaisically climbing back up to his lofty abode, shaking his hindquarters in the air.

"This little fucker is messing with me, Tanaka-san." I grumbled, lifting my slipper off my foot. The spite seemed to have gathered my intentions, squeaked, and crawled up his string faster than the other janitors did when avoiding Yue prior to the end of a workday. "That's right, you'd better run, you little bitch!" I laughed, and glanced to Tanaka, who was staring at me; as though I had grown another head. "What? He keeps giving me nasty looks, and making faces at me… I've called him Yue Junior, because he has nothing nice to say."

The old electrician stepped down from his ladder, and strode to the leaning couch and the busted-up coffee table which stood across it. He lifted the ash tray from it, sniffed, but set it back down; his expression revealing his disregard of the idea that had popped into that zapped head of his (probably the one insinuating I was smoking something other than tobacco).

I gritted my teeth as Tanaka lifted his baseball cap and nervously ran his hand over his sweaty, nearly bald head. "Are you sure you're…uh…alright? Maybe we should take you to the doctor… get one of those scans…"

"Are you suggesting that I'm crazy?" I leapt up. "That I've lost my marbles?! That I'm a few screws short of a hardware store?! As fruity as a bag of Skittles?! The last person who called me crazy got socked in the face!"

Tanaka held up his hands. "You're the one that said those things, not me…"

"The pen is mightier than the sword." Yue's _charming_ voice interrupted us. He held a handkerchief to his mouth and nose as he entered the room. "Ugh, how _can_ you live like this?" He scooted around the moldy boxes, and beheld my greasy self with absolute disdain. He shivered. "Hmpfh, I was wondering what smelled like dead dog in here! I presumed it was such a beast, but it's the resident herself!"

I glared at him. "I showered…two, three, uh, four," I counted off my fingers simply to gross Yue out. "Yeah, a week ago…and do you not see my surroundings, Yue-san. It's all useless crap, which I refuse to clean, because the school should clean it."

"The pot calling the kettle black…" Yue muttered. "And have you not realized it yet? WE," He motioned to himself, Tanaka, and me. "-ARE the school!" He shook his head, showing contempt for my laziness and disheveled appearance. I wish he'd just fire me already, but the bastard is persistent. "Ugh, maybe we should just hose you down outside! You would get the showers in the locker rooms' absolutely filthy!"

"I haven't had the time!" I shot back, allowing the little bit of redhead in me to show.

"Wrong! You've had time! You're just attempting to avoid that Fujioka he/she." Yue snapped. He lifted my hands, and grimaced. "Oh, how disgusting!"

"She's got the hands of a rice-planter from Hiroshima!" Tanaka added. He faked a cough. "But Yue's got the hands of a drag queen from the States."

I smiled, pleasantly, at Tanaka. "Thank you." I mouthed, and he tipped his baseball hat to me, making me blush. He returned to work, and for a moment it gave me time to think if Tanaka actually had a family. He always seemed to be working.

"Now, you listen here!" Yue interrupted my thoughts. He suddenly made a gagging sound. "Bleh… You smell like B.O. and cigarettes! I cannot speak to you when you are like this!" I lifted my armpit and sniffed, which only served to turn Yue a hilarious green color. I laughed at his disgusted expression. "Hit the showers, immediately, you filthy, disgusting girl! And, for the love of God, shave the hairy jungle you have occupying your…your…areas!"

* * *

The hot water which ran down my body felt so amazingly good that it _nearly_ made me forget all of my troubles with the Haruhi look-a-like. Well, I guess that washing the weeks' worth of grime off me helped, too (what? Not all of us have time for something so basic). No, it's not because I've been trying ridiculously hard to avoid Haruhi _(who happens to be at every other corner)_… of course not… I've been…busy… Really, freaking busy… Too busy!

…I guess I should explain my reasoning:

Haruhi (the one who I am desperately hoping didn't actually get accepted into Ouran) isn't like me. She puts family and school ahead of everything else. Since I haven't strived to affirm either, it makes us a very unlikely duo. Still, we grew up around each other – same day care center, same kindergarten, same secret hideouts, same favorite restaurants, and same elementary and middle school. And people don't change.

Haruhi is still the practical, dependable, blunt, sardonic, and opinionated person that I've known since youth. And the dunderhead actually has high-expectations of me, which is as easy as explaining why the sun is hot. But our lives took very drastic turns after I was expelled and quit school! Here is my analysis of the possible outcomes for my situation:

**First** (and most probable), she was too busy studying for Ouran Academy's entrance exam to notice, and since I attended my second year in high school, I'm pretty safe _(unless one of the middle school punks had siblings in my grade…okay, that's very likely…and if I think about it the schools are not too far apart…)_. Regardless, if she found me working here as a lowly janitorial servant, she's smart enough to put two and two together.

**Second**, if the bookworm _didn't_ have her pretty little nose shoved into a book, and _did_ listen to gossip for the entirety of February and May, she's been brooding over my futile stupidity for the past month and her annoyance has only been further kindled by my avoidance of her.

Either way, I don't want to reveal myself to her, since she will be ferociously pissed off no matter what scenario I've portrayed. As far as I'm concerned, she still thinks I'm in Higashi High, completing my third and final year of school. I really hope she still thinks that, because… because… well… I guess it's not my fear of her being angry that's keeping me from making her aware of the situation _(she'd probably slap me, yes, but she hits like a girl…a really butch girl…)_. If she were anybody else, I'd greet them in that stupid Music Room #3 with a, "Hey, like how the *&%$ are _you_?! Me?! I'm _like_ awesome! Great! Fantastic! I ditched school, since it was _like_ such a drag, and took up a _real _job _like_ wiping the asses of all the _like_ rich schmucks here! _Like, like, like, like, like_!"

That declaration would only serve to put me in a rotten mood, not necessarily her… But, to make a long, conflicting story _longer_, it's that frustrated scowl she'll wear for_ever_ that will be impossible to live down. She's the only person who has actually believed in me and had expectations of me. Everyone else in the orphanage expected me to do what I, err, did: Quit, give up, throw in the towel, live free, and die hard.

"Yuki-senpai, don't give up, because only selfish people give up." She would say in that unbefitting condescending tone _(being called selfish receives a similar reaction to being called crazy, in my case)_.

As self-reflective as I am _(it's one of the few traits I actually feel superior for)_, it took me and that relaxed shower to realize that seeing Haruhi would only mirror the exact disappointment I already felt about myself.

I leaned my forehead against the cool tile. "How in God's name did you get into Ouran anyway, Brain?" I contemplated if I'd ever receive an answer to that question. Not that I need it. My nickname for Haruhi Fujioka is self-explanatory. _So, it really is her that I've seen…_

* * *

"You sure took a long time." Yue complained, lifting up a flashlight from the bench he had been "patiently" sitting on.  
"Why did you wait for me then?" I snapped.

"I can't just leave you alone." Yue sighed. "I feel at least partially responsible for you. But, and Tanaka agrees, this past week you sure have been a moody bitch." He wagged his finger when I twisted around, like an angry, rabid dog. I would so bite his bony little finger clean off, if he wasn't the big _constipated_ cheese here. "PMS'ing is no excuse for mistreatment of your superior or co-workers."

Before I knew it, we had ascended up the stairs to the main level, and I was brought to the view of the stars, tiny white specks in the sky which reminded me of my childhood. The window only made it seem more magical. My towel being my only garment, however, dampened my mood when three of the night guards outside noticed me. They lowered their glasses, and whistled. In response, I awkwardly waved. _Maybe I could have been a stripper. Would have gotten paid more… Huh…_ A mental image of Haruhi immediately silenced those thoughts.

When Yue appeared behind me, the guards practically swallowed their mouths before cowering away. _They can't really be thinking…_ I glanced behind me, and noticed Yue… shirtless.

I screeched, which caused him to drop the flashlight on the ground, breaking it. "What in the Hell's the matter with you, Yamamoto?" He demanded.

I wasn't coherent. Underneath the shirt, Yue wasn't as weak and scrawny as I thought he'd be. He was freaking built! His arms… his abs… holy God, his freaking pecks…. I'm positive he couldn't add any more 'pack' to his six pack. But instead of feeling horribly attracted and horny _(as I know I should have)_ I instead became thoroughly embarrassed, as though I had just walked in on my foster dad in the shower…all I have to say about that is: crap happens.

I turned away, hiding my eyes in my hands. "Where the fuck is your shirt, dude?!"

"Language!" Yue admonished, angrily. "I've had it up to here with your foul mouth. And, as for my shirt, I've had it off for the past half an hour! I myself took a shower, since you were taking so long finishing yours! My shirt was too damp for further use!"

I began to sob. "I've been brain raped!" It took me a minute to realize my towel had fallen off. Yue was looking at me, not embarrassedly or perversely, but in a rather un-amused way. "Don't look at me, you sick, six-pack pervert!" I quickly covered myself with the towel again.

"You really need to have your head removed from your ass. It's interfering with my personal sanity and well-being." Yue muttered. He felt around for a light switch. The portion of hallway we were in would be completely and totally dark if it weren't for the light from the moon. This made the current situation all the more erotic and suitable for a scene in a porno.

I nervously quipped, "Y-Yue-san… Don't leave me alone here!"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark?"

I huffed in indignation. "Get back here, six-pack pervert!"

"Quit nicknaming things, idiot!"

"I do not nickname things!"

"Yes, yes you do. You talk to yourself. I heard everything."

I jabbed my finger in the direction he had sauntered off to. "You heard nothing!"

* * *

**~The Next Day~**

* * *

I angrily slammed the bucket onto the floor, causing it to splash onto the ground. "Stupid six-pack pervert…" I grumbled as I knelt down and began scrubbing. "Stupid, pink-puke ballroom…"_ If I slip and fall in here again, I'm going to mass-murder everyone in this school._

"I think it's become a habit of us running into each other! I do believe we'll have to stop!" Tamaki chirped from behind me. I turned around to face him. When I saw his face, I couldn't help but smile; he was very handsome and gentlemanly and something about his smile was kind and naïve to meanness… "So, who is this 'six-pack pervert'? He sounds very…interesting." He phrased carefully, adding a light chuckle at the end of his statement.

I nervously removed the plastic gloves on my hands, and accepted Tamaki's. He lifted me up to my feet, and made a motion to the balcony. "My supervisor… He is a little…over-whelming sometimes. But please don't repeat that."

"Of course not, Princess!" Tamaki grinned, and I smiled back. He opened the fancy glass door for me, and I curtsied, which made him chuckle. "It'll be our little secret."

Being around Tamaki felt comfortable; his friend _(what was it?)_, Kyoya, is the exact opposite. I figure it's because Tamaki's gayer than a handbag full of rainbows, but still. How could two people with such contrastingly different personalities be in the same room with each other, let alone be friends? I guess the same could be said for me and Haruhi. "I hate to correct you, Tamaki Suoh, but this is the first time we've seen each other in nearly a week."

Tamaki feigned a gasp, or at least I think he did. He might have been totally serious and apologetic, although I doubt it. He's still a rich-kid, after all. "I must apologize then, for neglecting my second favorite secret princess! Forgive me?" He led me to the edge of the balcony where we could fully view the cherry blossoms. The wind was picking up, which meant the blossoms wouldn't be around for much longer. It was sad. I hadn't really been able to enjoy them.

"Second favorite?" I giggled. _I'll pray for you, favorite secret princess._

"Yes." This single word was so curt, that, for a moment, I thought I was stepping on broken glass. He looked so serious all of a sudden.

"Err, so you must be the one who's renting out the ballroom, huh?" I wondered, changing the subject. Tamaki immediately brightened when I asked.

"It will be a magnificent party for dancing and fun! All of the ladies will arrive in gowns and we will entertain them!" He explained the entire process of what a host does, and I simply listened. The way he moved his arms and spoke about making women happy, was highly entertaining. It reminded me of a small child who had determined dreams of being an astronaut. I pulled out a cigarette from the oversized pocket of my jumpsuit.

"Will Haruhi be there?" I asked, and he brought his gaze back to me. His jaw dropped as I searched my pocket for my lighter.

"Autumn princess… you smoke?" His voice sounded like the horrified squeak that that stupid spider made last night. I immediately flinched once the negative attention was turned on me.

"Yeah… It keeps my hands occupied." I admitted. "I figured since we were already outside…" He snatched it from my mouth.

"Ladies do not smoke!" He cried, dropping it to the ground and smashing it with his shoe. My eyebrow ticked.

"Hey, c'mon; that wasn't even lit!" I glared at him. "I'm not a lady, Suoh-san." I grumbled, shuffling through my pocket for another one. It occurred to me that right then was the perfect time to clarify if the Haruhi in his group was a girl or not. If it was Brain, then at least I'd know, instead of constantly wasting time thinking about it. "Haruhi Fujioka's a lady. She's a class-act. I wish I could be more like her." I admitted. It wasn't a lie.

Tamaki stared at me, a look of divine horror on his face. "Eh…di…Haruhi…girl…can't be…M-Mommy…" He straightened his tie, and stood up straight as a board. "I-I must be leaving, autumn princess. Excuse me." He strode down the balcony steps, and upon reaching the bottom darted across the grounds, flailing his arms, and looking like a bat out of Hell.

"Geez." I sneered and took out another cigarette. I lit it, and _freaking enjoyed_ it along with the beautiful, rosy cherry blossoms. That is before Yue came to check on me and griped me out for 1) smoking, and 2) being a lazy, good-for-nothing.

* * *

**~Alice in Eden**

I loved writing this chapter so much!

Yuki and Haruhi's relationship is established, and Yuki's fear of confronting Haruhi is explained. Also, Yue is a sexy bitch underneath all that black, Resident Evil clothing. I'd like to point out that this chapter was a little more easy for me to write (since it felt natural). I hope you guys can give me some criticism, though! I need to be judged! Was this purebred poodle material? Or incestous mutt-spawn pit bull crap?

Anyhoo, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :D


	5. Like a Thief in the Night Literally

**Chapter Five**

**Like a Thief in the Night (Literally)**

* * *

_April 13, 2006_

"Hey, new girl!"

I turned to find Makoto, one of the janitors, walking towards me. He was one of the 'dumbasses' Yue so frequently complained about. "Hey, Mako." I smiled as pleasantly as I could manage.

Mako had this habit of calling me 'new girl' and 'kiddo,' even though we weren't that far apart age-wise. He's 25, and younger than Yue, apparently. It didn't surprise me that Yue would lie about himself being the youngest; it was probably to get back at me for lying about my age.

"Hey kid, some of the workers here are going out for dinner. Wanna come?" He grinned, revealing the large chip in his teeth. I had yet to ask him how that happened, but I assume he got into a lot of fights when he was young, since he also has a crooked, offset nose.

"I don't have any money." I lied (well, partially. The money I do have is vending machine money for ramen. If I have to eat ramen one more time, pretty soon I'm just going to turn into a noodle). He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

"That's okay, kid! I'll pay for you!" He kissed my cheek, and I pushed him away.

"Hey, quit that!" I snapped.

"I heard a sweet little rumor from one of the security guards," Mako began. When I realized what he was talking about, I punched his arm so hard, he let out a yelp. He burst out laughing. "Oh, hey, c'mon! That's gonna leave a mark! I was just kidding! Yue would never sleep with a girl like you!"

I glared at him, and Mako quickly realized his mistake. "I, uh, mean… Yue has really high standards… He'd sooner marry himself than anybody else…"

"You've said enough. What time are you leaving and who exactly is going to be there?" I asked, and Mako did a little happy dance.

"One of the kindergarten teachers in Ouran – Akira – is having a baby, so we're having a surprise baby shower party for her!" He grinned.

"Where?" I wondered, and Mako lifted his thumb high into the air.

"Why, one of the best ramen shops in Bunkyo!"

_Ugh…_

* * *

"Aren't you going to eat, Yuki-chan?" Akira wondered, caressing her large, swollen belly. I shook my head, already nauseated by the giant bowl of garlic-smelling noodles in front of me. She pursed her lips, and latched her thumb and forefinger on Mako's ear. "Idiot, Yuki-chan can't eat ramen forever! Did you even ask her what she wanted instead of solely thinking of yourself?"

"How do you even know that?" Mako grumbled, attempting to pull himself free of Akira's hold.

"Look at the poor girl, she's malnourished, and we've all been in those ramen-every-night days!" She freed Mako and grasped my hands, smiling brightly at me. "Yuki-chan, from now on Mako-chan will buy you lunch every day."

"Hey, don't make promises like that, Akira! It's not exactly cheap in Ouran, and the lunch ladies are out to get me!"

"Shut up, or else I'll tell Yue that you were the one who hung tampons from the chandelier!" She made a clicking sound. "And you wonder why everybody has a price on your head!"

"Wow, you guys are really close." I giggled, and Akira glared at Mako.

"I'm his older sister, but I doubt he said anything about that. He's embarrassed of me, apparently."

"These two have been arguing since day one!" A drunken man, I'm assuming another janitor, guffawed. "It's too bad that Aki-chan has to leave…" He looked as though he immediately regretted that statement. "I'm…sorry, Aki…" He murmured.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You're leaving? Isn't it hard to leave Ouran?"

Akira caressed her belly, a little sadder than before. "My husband was arrested last week for possession." Mako gave her look, and she responded with a half-shrug. "She's working there; she might as well know what she's up against! My husbands' brother, you see, has a lot of issues, and he left some illegal narcotics in our home. A _mysterious_ complaint was sent to the cops." She scowled. "Ouran Academy keeps a very close eye on all of their little bees, and, before I even knew of my husbands' and brother-in-laws' arrests, I was sent a notice requiring me to quit."

"You should have accepted their money. Yue went through a lot of trouble to get you that much." Mako grumbled, swirling his sake. Everyone, who had once been laughing, suddenly became silent. Even the drunk man, who had brought it up, seemed tenser than before. It was a little daunting that every time Ouran was brought up, everyone at our table became uneasy yet stoical. As though even talking badly about their place of work could earn the entire group the boot. Ouran was an omnipresent threat for all of these people; an upcoming natural disaster which could sweep them away if Ouran suddenly removed their life jackets. Working there was more like a curse than a gift.

"Yue can go fuck himself! I don't want Ouran's stupid, buy-me-off money!" Akira snapped. "I love my students! Now, I'll be lucky if I even get to work in a school half as nice as Ouran, and my husband is still in jail, awaiting parole! Our baby is due in a few days… he probably won't even get to hold her when she's first born." Tears began to collect in her eyes. "I don't want to point a finger at anybody, but it really is Yue's fault! And he knows it is. He's the one that does routine check-ups on all the employees, and he takes that stupid position of his so seriously… I wouldn't be surprised if he'd turn in his own mothers' ashes to those vultures at the board…"

This comment made me a little wearier of Yue, someone I already had little trust in. "Don't say that!" Someone at the far end of the table exclaimed. Others just nodded their heads in silent agreement, as though they weren't sure whether or not Yue really deserved them sticking their heads out for him. The woman who spoke blushed and fumbled with the strings on her jacket, obviously regretting her own declaration.

Akira didn't seem to care, and I reached over and patted her hand. "Akira-san, I'm really sorry that happened to you… But does Yue really have to be ostracized for doing his job?" I wondered. Everyone gave me doubtful looks, probably questioning whose side I was on (it was the staff against the school, and Yue was teeter-tottering, which made him even more untrustworthy). Akira smiled, kindly, at me, and gave everyone else a narrowed 'f-off' look.

"You're lucky, Yuki-chan. For some reason, Yue took a shine to you. He was absolutely determined to get you a job at Ouran, and he kept the board members in a meeting for hours and wouldn't let them leave. I think he has a thing for you." She whispered the last part into my ear, and I blushed profusely. _Why would Yue have a thing for me? Mako was right when he said Yue would be quicker to marry himself than anybody else._

Speak of the devil, Mako snorted, sarcastically. "Even though Yue claims to be a puppet handled by the school, he controls everything: the exact time and place everyone is at (why do you think he just appears out of nowhere?), clubroom layouts, people hired into Ouran. Hell, he even puts in his two cents about who should be able to attend the academy and who should be discarded into Ouran high school and who doesn't even deserve that much! Does anybody actually disagree with that?" No one responded, and Mako smirked, smugly. "That's what I thought. All of you should make sure Yue hasn't put tracking devices in your arms or teeth while you're asleep. He's sneakier than a thief and more cunning than a rat! Why do you think I drink so much? It's to kill any device he's put inside me!" This seemed to lighten the mood, since everyone began laughing again and throwing their crumpled napkins at Mako.

Akira punched the top of her brothers' head. "You drink because you're an alcoholic. It has nothing to do with Ouran, so just shut up. Yuki-chan, please don't spare my idiotic brother another glance."

"Akira…" He groaned.

"That's not even the best part." The drunkard mused. He took down another shot of sake.

Akira frowned. "That's enough Riku." She murmured, but he slammed his fist on the table. The entire establishment looked at us.

"No one can leave that Hell-hole!" Riku shouted. "They threaten to remove our pensions if we attempt to quit or retire! And most of us have been there long enough to actually give a damn! Unlike you Akira! Hell, Tanaka Nagisa is almost sixty, and he won't be able to retire because they're too chicken shit to bring new employees onto the campus!"

"You say that every time you get drunk, Riku." Akira hissed. "But it always amounts to the same thing: which school will your kids get in? Who's going to pay the mortgage on your home? Will you even have a home without Ouran Academy? Think about it, all of you get paid quite a bit more than anywhere else. Admit it to yourselves, that's what roped you in – our greed. It's what roped me in – a teacher's salary which looked more like a lawyers'. Then that moron, Hasegawa, made one mistake, and, before we knew it, every single one of us was being looked at under a microscope."

"Who is Hasegawa?" I asked, and Riku glared at me. I don't think he was necessarily glaring at me, but whatever emotion he felt.

"Hasegawa is the son of a bitch who took a student hostage in '96. Because of him, the people at the board are afraid of their own shadows." Riku explained in a low growl. He clenched the sake glass so hard, it shattered in his fist. "If I see that bastard out of prison anytime soon, I'm going to make him wish he'd stood in prison!"

"Who exactly was the student?" I asked Mako, who was so drunk I doubt he could even say how many fingers he had (everyone else was trying to calm down the hothead). "I mean, surely it couldn't have been that drastic to create such an issue for the school."

He grinned. "The kid was in elementary school at the time, and his name was…"

* * *

The knowledge wasn't helpful. At times, I wondered why I even asked such stupid, pointless questions that didn't benefit me. It was none of my business. Except, maybe it was. This newly-found information gave me leverage, in the event of…anything involving the rich kids, I guess.

I sat on the empty bus, counting down the seconds until it would finally drop me off at the station, and I could go home…moderately home. Ouran felt less like home than ever at this point. The dirty, moldy cottage suddenly felt dark and cold and mean. And it had never felt that way before. The train beeped, and the doors slid open. I quickly darted out.

_Why would Yue show me preferential treatment, though? He's made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like me._ I decided. _But it doesn't seem like he likes anybody. He treats all of them so professionally… _My eyes widened. "Oh, he couldn't be." I murmured, feeling my heartbeat quicken. _That's impossible…! He can't be…!_

_He's…_

_He's…_

_He's…_

_A robot!_

But a robot can't take showers and I was only half-serious about that.

"_He's sneakier than a thief and more cunning than a rat!"_ Makoto's declaration was still fresh on my mind. I couldn't help the fact that I agreed with Mako. But it wasn't Yue's fault he was given a flawed system and told to manage it! It's like giving someone a blank book, and telling them to read it.

_Am… Am I defending Yue?_ I wondered, shaking my head in disbelief. When had I ever defended anyone but myself and Haruhi? I looked up to the sign above me.

_Ouran's a few hundred kilometers away. Stupid Mako… Why go all the way to Tokyo for ramen? Maybe I really do like Yue._ _Why exactly did I think that?!_ I could feel myself turning red, but when my stomach did a horrible flop – something I could only conclude as nausea – I disregarded the 'L' word entirely. _Yue… he isn't like that. He's… like an older brother, really. Maybe that's why it is so easy to talk to Yue, even though we've only known each other for a week._

I felt unbelievably silly after remembering this. My relationship with Yue was a week-old, and, yet, we treated each other like we'd known one another for years. It was really weird…but, at the same time, felt kind of normal. "What is up with all this inner-conflict?" I wondered, running my hand through my copper-colored hair. It was very tangled and, in some areas, a little matted. _Don't I have a hairbrush? Yue's right… I am disorganized. I don't even brush my hair. I am incapable and uneducated._

I can't explain it, but this new desire to show Yue I was capable arose in me. Of course I could never be educated – not in the world's view, anyway. But I could prove to Yue I was capable. _And then I'll tell that six-pack pervert to take his dirty cottage and shove it!_

This new fire in me felt warm and happy and _safe_. For all that time since I had gotten kicked out of school, I was fathomless and insatiable; I needed something to strive to do, _I always have_. New ideas popped into my head; ideas of getting a high school equivalent and going to college. One day, maybe I could help people like me, and make it easier for them!

"And after all that, I can tell Ouran Academy to kiss my little butt!" I said aloud. A wave of guilt suddenly crashed over me. _Haruhi… I can't do anything fool-hearty or stupid, for her benefit. I have to be on my best behavior. She's always been a class-act._

When I finally reached the gates of Ouran, I was so pleased with myself, that I'm pretty sure an alien from space could see me glowing. However, as usual (and as if to say 'the Earth hates you'), this self-confidence immediately vanished the moment I tugged on the gate.

_Oh butter balls… It's locked…_

* * *

**~The Next Day~**

* * *

"You fell asleep in front of the building?" Yue's jaw slacked. _So much for looking capable._ I thought sarcastically as I pulled leaves from my hair.

"It's not that simple, Yue-san." I muttered, almost embarrassed to continue the rest of the story. "I didn't exactly stay asleep in front of the gate."

Yue ran the tips of his fingers on the desk…repeatedly. A sure sign he couldn't be more pissed. "Continue." He pressed, giving me his signature cold and un-amused expression.

"Err, well… I kind of… maybe…" I took a deep breath. "Can I start from the beginning?"

* * *

**~Early That Same Morning~**

* * *

When I woke up, I felt like I was sitting upfront on a board. My wrists and ankles felt heavy, as did my eyelids, and there was something covering my mouth… duct tape? I began to scream once realization dawned on me.

_Oh my God! I've been kidnapped!_ Suddenly the tape was removed. I couldn't tell who did it – I was coincidentally blindfolded. "Help! Help!" I screamed. "There's a serial killer who's going to torture me and put me in a tub full of ice and then rape me and bury me alive!"

Someone removed the blindfold. _That scent…_ It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the bright light directed right at my face. But I managed to identify six silhouetted figures in the room. "Tamaki Suoh." I immediately growled.

"How could she tell it was me?!" Tamaki cried.

"It's because you seem like the most likely character to torture her, put her in a tub full of ice, rape her, and then bury her alive, boss." Two voices snickered. _Hikaru and Kaoru?_

"Shut up!" Tamaki snapped.

"I told you not to wear that awful cologne. It's repugnant." _Kyoya?_

"Wow, she's super cute!" _Who the Hell is that?!_ "Why is she here and restricted in one of our Medieval Theme chairs, Takashi?"

Someone grunted, "Ask Tamaki."

"Hey! Don't tell her that!"

"That's a little much." Kyoya sighed, and flicked on the light switch.

"If you don't remove me from this chair right now, Suoh, I'm going to castrate you in the middle of the night and feed your balls to the security dogs!" I seethed.

Tamaki flinched. "I don't think I should free you after what you just said…"

"You do not have to, Tamaki. In fact, Miss Yamamoto has just made a clear threat towards you, and we therefore have the right to restrain her." Kyoya intervened. He smiled at me, and I stared, astonished, at him.

I pursed my lips. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Ootori-san. You're the talk of the town. Xenophobic, are we?" I taunted. His glasses glazed over, and he walked to the chair, placing his hands on either of my arms. He was so close; I could feel his breath on my face. He brought his lips closer to my ear.

"You have caused this club quite a bit of trouble." He whispered, slowly and silkily. "I knew you were trouble from the first time I saw you, Miss Yamamoto." I could feel him smirking. "Commoner trash, are we? I know everything about you, the least of which is your relationship with Haruhi Fujioka. Even so, it came as a surprise to me that you'd expose her gender for money. Why, I never thought you'd sink so low. Looks like I underestimated your intelligence."

"What?!" I squeaked. "I did no such thing!" He pulled away, looking me directly in the eyes. I quickly collected myself. "I mean, Fujioka's a girl? I never would have guessed!"

"She's lying!" Tamaki snapped. "She said she knew Haruhi was a girl!"

"I said nothing of the sort!" I cried. Indirectly I hadn't. I simply called Haruhi a lady… I didn't say I thought she was a girl. "And even if I did, I'd never try to weasel money out of the students here! Whoever said that is a brainless idiot with a lower intelligence than you're insinuating I have!"

Kyoya paused, as though considering my declaration. "She's telling the truth." He said.

"Which could only mean that," One of the twins began (I later – very much later – discovered this one to be Hikaru, although that's a story for another time).

"-the boss exaggerated details again." The second one (Kaoru) ended.

Kyoya glared at Tamaki. "I thought you said she demanded money in return for her silence, Tamaki?"

The blond nervously fiddled with his tie. "I was concerned for my little girls' safety. I may have…altered…the facts somewhat so as to make the progression of things faster. But wouldn't you?"

All of the "Hosts" gave him a look of annoyance. "No." They all said in cold, hard unison.

"Tamaki you really are an idiot." Kyoya turned and began picking at the duct tape on my wrists. He didn't speak until I was completely free. And with his question, came a kind and pleasant smile which I had never before seen, "Might I offer you a beverage and some cake, Miss Yamamoto?"

I glared at him. _Did he seriously expect to buy me over after kidnapping me and trapping me in a chair as hard as bricks?_ "No." I said, curtly. "You can offer me the direction of the exit."

A little boy hopped towards me. "Please don't go, Yu-chan!" He exclaimed. "We're really sorry! Tama-chan gets a little… ahead of himself. He didn't mean to hurt your feelings! Honest!"

I knelt down to his height, and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Oh, believe me, my feelings aren't hurt. However, my back is killing me and the tape, which had been covering my mouth, hurt when it was brutally ripped off of my face." I smiled. "So, yes, I'm going to take my leave. And, no, I'm never coming back. Ever."

He grabbed my wrist. _Holy crap, this kid is freaking strong!_ "Hey, let go of me!" I hissed.

"No! You can't tell anybody that Haru-chan is a girl, or else she won't be in the Host Club anymore!" Tears collected in his eyes, and fell down his pretty, pink cheeks. "I won't ever let you go until you promise not to tell anybody!"

He wrapped his short body around my leg when I began walking; dragging the little prick, err, cutie behind me. "I'm trying to avoid Haruhi, so I can't start gossiping about what she does anyway. Now, please let me go."

"Why are you trying to avoid Haruhi?" Tamaki wondered.

"Because…" I snapped.

"That's not an answer." He responded, cheekily.

I could feel my temper burning at my throat. The stupid kid on my leg still wouldn't let go, and his gigantic friend kept hovering over me. "It's none of your business." I attempted to pry the kids' arms off of me. _That's it; I'm never having kids…!_

Tamaki arrogantly placed his hand on his chest. "Yes it is my business! I'm her father!"

"Her 'sugar-daddy' is more like it!" I attempted to shake the boy off my leg. "God dammit, get off!"

"NOOOOOO!" He whined.

"If you don't get off, I swear I'm going to…" The tall giant narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to give you a nice big hug…" I glanced to my side, absolutely horrified that I might very well die in this room. _Who will clean me up? Yue will probably bring me back to life, just to make me clean myself up. _I decided, cryptically.

"Just let her go, Honey-senpai." Hikaru grumbled.

"Yeah, she's really loud." Kaoru added.

"And classes start in less than an hour." They both said, and yawned…err, both of them. _How exactly do they do that? _"The Boss made us get up really early, too."

The boy, Honey, slowly released me. He wiped at his eyes. "No wonder Haru-chan looks so lonely, she misses Yu-chan." He murmured.

"Will you quit it with the honorific? I'm obviously older than you." My patience was wearing thin, especially with Tamaki sulking in that corner. _What in the Hell is the matter with him?_

"Honey-senpai's a third year." Kyoya corrected, and my eyebrow ticked.

"Yeah, I would be, too, if I hadn't dropped out." I said through firmly gritted teeth. _Suck my big, fat, black…grr…_

"What kinds of people does my little girl associate with?" Tamaki wondered, woefully. He still had his head, hung in shame, in that stupid corner. "A smoking drop-out is not my idea of a good, female companion."

_Brain, Ouran Academy is so totally not worth it if you have to deal with these dunderheads._

* * *

"They wouldn't let me leave until I signed an agreement." I threw the crumpled piece of paper onto Yue's desk. He unfolded it, and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Out of all the wealthy students in this school, you had to get on the bad of those six." He muttered. "There's nothing you can do now, except wait and see." He pulled open a drawer, and tucked the paper inside one of his color-coated, alphabetized folders. "This was inevitable. You're too pretty; one of those womanizers would have been bound to notice you."

I blushed and my mouth slowly fell open. _Pretty? Yue has never called me pretty before. He's never even complimented me before!_

He rolled his eyes at my expression. "I meant nothing by it. Now, get to work before I fire you." He flicked his wrist, motioning me to leave. I bowed, and left the room, closing the door behind me. But paused in front of his door, still a little dumbstruck by what he said.

_Huh… Yue thinks I'm pretty._ I smiled, softly. _And he actually meant it._

* * *

**~Alice In Eden**

As promised, another chapter! Phew, I'm so tired... You guys probably won't see chpt.6 until next Saturday...sorry, but duty calls!

So, tell me what you think and constructive criticism please! Along with a few 'Yue IS six-pack pervert' because those make me crack up laughing XD


	6. Laisse Faire Aller

**A/N: Two days into the school year, and I already want Summer Vacation again T.T Someone end my misery! Woe is me... Woe is me...**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Laisse Faire Aller**

* * *

Yue, being a thirty-three, incoherently obsessive compulsive hypochondriac, adhered himself as a practical man. His analysis may seem ridiculous considering his OCD, but, you must understand, it had been worse. He liked to think that he had come a long way from the scraggly, shy boy he once was to the confident and stable man he was now. Still, the loneliness was the same in both instances of his short life.

In school, Yue in spite of being well-liked (his co-workers would adamantly, without proof, disagree) didn't really have anybody. He was captain of the swim team and the debate team. He was the student council president for every year of high school. He had the best grades of the class. And he was always sought after. Girls mistook his shyness and awkwardness for mysteriousness and brooding.

He was none of those things back then, though…Now? He supposed he was in a way brooding (Ouran was a miserable place to be on a 24/7 basis). Even so, Yue noticed as the years passed, that he became more and more like his father. Weak… soft… kind… Yue hoped that none of these traits leaked through his unmoving and calloused exterior.

Only when he was in his nicely furnished apartment, could Yue breathe, act himself, or, as he sat at his desk, look _fondly_ at the picture of his family on a sailboat. He loved that picture more than anything else he owned.

One person in particular stood out in that single photograph. The willowy, stern-faced woman with dark, gray-streaked hair tied neatly in a bun. And, oh, her eyes – light, piercing gray orbs. These eyes resembled storm clouds, and were mysterious yet understanding.

Yue missed his mother, something he would never admit to anyone. Her memory was almost a secret treasure, really. He chuckled at the devastated expression she wore in the picture.

Mary, his mother, hated sailing. She always got seasick, but his father adored the hobby. Mary, whose past Yue found was quite muddled, was born in the year 1928 in Shanghai, China (as he assumes given her age and the shelter his grandfather said she was found). She was sold into slavery immediately by her mother; a fate Yue deemed kind considering. By seven, she was already a prostitute, and she resided in Shanghai until 1939. Yue presumed the war forced her away, which would ultimately be the turning point of her sad little life. After that, she was taken in by a wealthy British family and renamed Mary. But all of that time in between! Where did it go? What did she do? Did she just sell herself for the financial benefit of that horrible whore house? Or did she ever try to escape that life?

Yue took off his half-glasses, and rubbed at his eyes with his hands. Thinking about her often made him depressed. She never tended to focus on herself, and he was therefore left with an empty hole in the book of her life. A mystery with no actual resolution was a huge pet-peeve for Yue. He was similarly a curious man, often times sticking his nose into other peoples' business. It was his job to do so, but he sadly acknowledged that he enjoyed being, as Yuki phrased, "an uptight know-it-all."

In spite of her…well, being herself… Yue saw a lot of his mother in Yuki. Of course they shared no characteristics. No, his mother was far more controlled and placid. She was stable. However, their situations greatly resembled each other; with the exception that Yuki was still immature, hormone-driven, and self-absorbed, making her capacity to handle the life she was given limited.

_Maybe that's why I take pity on her. By now, I should have fired her, but, instead, I shower her with praises and compliments. What is wrong with me?_ Yue thought to himself. His lies had gotten so thorough that even he couldn't tell them apart. Yuki would never be the first or last person to get hired into the finest and most prestigious academy in all of Japan. But (when he thought about it) she looked so empty and lost that day. When he allowed those manipulative lies to escape his lips, her entire expression lit up like a light. For once, she was special…unique. Yue had actually made someone feel happy.

When Yuki smiled, or when she laughed, especially when she was embarrassed, he got a certain high from it. Which made Yue's disappointment deep during the night she had seen him shirtless…. He couldn't see her expression! At all! Yue hadn't actually seen her nudity either, only blurry lines of her moderately curvy form (he was as blind as a bat without his glasses, which he had stupidly left in the locker room – regardless, he knew the entire Ouran campus like the back of his hand).

She was a female, though. And he'd never actually talked comfortably with an individual of the opposite sex before (Akira scared the crap out of him and the other women on the campus either disliked him or were too afraid to approach him). Simply knowing Yuki had been naked in front of him… Well, this made him feel both giddy and nauseous.

Yue wrenched up from his chair, and ran his hands through his hair a dozen or so times. _She's a pretty girl….young woman….no she's a girl! She may look like a woman, which explains the attraction, but she's still a little, tiny girl, you six-pack pervert pedophile! _Oh, great now he was calling himself that horrible nickname she created. Yue swallowed the bile rising in his throat. Any, no, _every_ time he thought about Yuki in a…romantic and/or sexual way he felt sick.

_There can only be one other way to settle the issue._ He realized.

* * *

_What way? You may wonder. Well, it is way which would change the green eyed girls' life forever._

* * *

**April 20, 2006**

I stared, miserably, at the tinted pink door with the golden door handle. Stenciled into the wood were rose vines, and above the door was a metal sign that read 'Music Room #3.'

_Is this some kind of a joke?_ I thought, still thoroughly pissed off by the note I received. First off, I figured they would just leave me alone – drop it, let it go, whatever. This doesn't bother me as much as the fact that I received a freaking, pink letter (that smelled like Tamaki….oh, God freaking damn he smells good…err, never mind) at my doorstep! THE DOORSTEP OF MY SECRET CRAPPY COTTAGE IN MY SECRET FREAKING GARDEN! _How did those sons of bitches find me?_

"Right… they're rich kids. They can do anything they want, when they want, how they want, if they want." I grumbled. _But I'm not here to dabble… I'm here to tell those a-holes to beat it._ This was the decision that lead me to the Host Club Door… not at all the fact that I secretly wanted to just walk up to Tamaki and nuzzle his neck and give him a massive hic-… _Good Holy God… Get your mind out of the gutter!_

I felt a slight tap on my shoulder, and turned.

I let out a scream upon seeing Ootori hovering over me. He was like a dark, evil cloud of venomous poisonous demonic malevolence…I'm not exaggerating… I think it scared me more than usual, because I was having dirty thoughts about Tamaki, though.

His glare turned into that pleasant smile. He obviously had taken notice of my fear-stricken form, and decided to be the nice guy for a change. "I apologize. I thought you were someone else, Miss Yamamoto." _Obviously not trying to be the nice guy._ He made an expression, as if to snigger. I awkwardly backed up, attempting to move away in secret, so as to not offend him. My back hit the door, and I let out a startled yelp. I quickly swerved around, and attempted to open the door, but the bitch wouldn't budge. "Might I walk you inside? I wouldn't want the other Hosts to give you such a scare as I."

I wreathed back around, roughly shoving my back against the door as he arched over me. "No." I breathed. "I wouldn't want them to think anything."

"What might they think?" Kyoya wondered. He firmly placed his hand against the door, thus preventing me from opening it. I kept my grip on the door handle, blushing immensely as he eyed me. When I glanced up to him, he was frowning, deeply and thoughtfully. "Miss Yamamoto, you have quite high standards. Too high." He clarified. "I admonish you to part with such ludicrous ideals while being that idiots'," This time he allowed an agitated cough to escape his lips. "Ahem, Tamaki's 'autumn princess.' Individuals, such as you, are particularly…fertile. And, even though we are rich and can get away with anything that we _want_," He placed emphasis on this word, revealing he had been listening to everything I said. "-the Hosts are still testosterone-driven males. So, please refrain from flaunting your attributes, and you and I should get along famously."

I gawked up at him, and he rolled his eyes. He probably thought I was too stupid to process any of what he said. "I'm not an idiot, you know!" I growled, but he wasn't listening. I prepared to speak up again, but he slithered his hand over mine, the one on the handle. My heartbeat quickened. "W-What are you doing?" I spluttered.

He pushed open the door. "You push the door. You do not pull it." He strode towards a corner in the room, and I simply stood in the doorway, feeling very, very stupid.

"Yu-chan~!" Someone twirled me around. "Oh wow, I'm so glad you actually showed up!" Honey exclaimed. "I hope you don't mind me calling you 'Yu-chan'. To make it fair, you can call me Honey-chan!"

"Uh… could I just call you Mitsukuni?" I asked, and his eyes widened.

"Oh wow! You know my name?" He grinned. "That's so cool!"

"Of course I know your name, silly…" I responded, condescendingly. "He calls you that." I pointed to the giant. "Your name is Takashi, right?" He blushed, a little, but nodded. "It's nice to meet you." I smiled, brightly. "I guess you can call me Yu-chan, Mitsukuni, in return for me calling you just that."

"Wow, are you Haru-chan's older sister?" He wondered, and I blanked a little. _Why would he say something like that? Doesn't he know I'm an orphan?_

"Err, not that I know of." I replied hesitantly. Once again Kyoya sent me that nasty glare. "What is his problem?" I whispered to the shortest teen alive. Honey blinked.

"You have such a pretty smile, that's all! Kyo-chan is mesmerized!" He exclaimed, as I sarcastically muttered, "Oh yeah, he looks absolutely enthralled…"

_Wow, even the dwarf coats it on thick._ I thought. I stood back to my full height, and slender, intoxicating arms wrapped around my torso. "Autumn princess, I'm so happy to see you." A silky voice whispered in my ear. I glared icily to the side which Suoh hovered.

"I don't forgive you for strapping me in a chair." I stated (playing hard-to-get). He retreated to the corner, and I let out a disappointed sigh. _Wow, Haruhi's really scarred this dude. He can't even take a joke._

Hikaru and Kaoru hopped towards me, and patted my head. It perturbed me… _I would have been their senior. Is it really appropriate they treat me this way?_

"Are you sure you're not related to Haruhi?" Kaoru asked, grinning.

"Yeah, only Haruhi can get Milord that upset!" Hikaru laughed.

I smiled. "Yeah, Haruhi tends to be a heart-breaker."  
"So, what stories do you have about Haruhi?" The twins wondered in mischievous unison. "Don't leave out any juicy details now." _How in the Hell do they do that? Do they rehearse before school?_ I didn't doubt this. In fact, this whole moment felt rehearsed, and I think they were noticing my weariness, since they started offering me stuff to drink or eat or read or randomly talk about.

'The weather is… nice.'

"It's raining."

Astonished, 'It is?'

'I used the window painting for today.'

'Good thinking, senpai! Rain is depressing and lame!'

"I like rain."

'Us too!'

"You just said it's depressing and lame."

_Brief interlude – or, rather, awkward silence_

'Might I offer you a glass of wine, Miss Yamamoto? I will not be able to serve it to you myself, but I can order it from the cafeteria?'

"I'm seventeen."

'Oh wow, you look a lot older, Yu-chan!' He backtracked, 'In a good way! You're a very mature looking person! I mean, those wrinkles by your mouth are crinkles and they're hardly even noticeable!'

'Mitsukuni quit talking.'

'Perhaps you would like to confess your deepest, darkest desires to me, Princess…'

"No thank you."

'Do you want a chair?'

"No, I'm fine standing, but thank you."

'Are you sure? This chair is really comfortable! It's made out of Italian leather!'

For some reason they always had to clarify what their possessions were. _I guess it's a rich people thing._

'And it's definitely better than the one at that filthy hut she's living in…'

"Excuse me?" I'm not sure which person said the latter, but they began whispering amongst themselves. And I don't know who taught them to whisper, but whoever it was needs to find a different profession.  
"Boss, this commoner is really hard to please!" Hikaru and Kaoru groaned.

"We must keep her here as long as possible!" Tamaki replied. "The intervention between Haruhi and Yuki needs to go along smoothly. Both need to be satisfied and in a good mood. I have already ordered the fancy tuna for Haruhi (in case she's really upset), and I'm positive that Yuki must be absolutely thrilled, what with being waited on hand and foot by six, beautiful young men!"

"Tama-chan, she doesn't look too happy right now." Honey mumbled.

I must not have. I had my hands clenched into fists, and my back hunched over. "You guys were trying to set up an 'intervention' between Haruhi and me? What the Hell?"

"It's selfish of you to keep your being here a secret!" Tamaki declared.

"What did you just call me?" I asked, coldly. "Did you seriously just call me selfish? You better suck those words back into your obnoxious mouth, Tamaki Suoh!"

He grabbed me, firmly, by the shoulders. "Only cowards hide, Yuki."

My eyes widened. He seriously must want to die right now. I was really close to jabbing my knee into his groin when a familiar voice called out, "Y-Yuki-senpai?"

And, then, there she was. Haruhi, other than her boyishly short hair and new fashion sense (maybe she wants to be a cross-dresser like Ryoji), looked the same. She still had that sincerity in her chocolate brown eyes, which acted as the mirror I feared. She eyed me, briefly. I expected her to slap me, or just give me the silent treatment (yeah, that's what she'd do). But she did neither. Instead, she knocked the air out of me, by attacking me in a bear hug.

"What are you doing here, Yuki-senpai?! Don't tell me you got a scholarship into Ouran Academy, too! Why didn't you tell me?!"

And then the unintentional, inevitable guilt-trip by said brunette left me with one daunting question: _What am I going to do?_

* * *

**~Alice In Eden**

**Alright, so what's up guys? Sorry it took me so long to Update. I was anticipating that I wouldn't get a chapter in until the weekend, what with having to wake up at 5AM every morning just to catch the bus to school (it's $15 to use the school parking lot, and I'm sadly a penny-pinching money hoarder, so yeah). Well, anyhoo, I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Yue gives some deep thought into his feelings for Yuki, which although are more profound similarly makes him sick. Why is that? And what does he have in mind? It will be juicy... mwahaha. Oh, and what in the heck is up with Kyoya? For those of you Kyoya-fangirls, I know this is tough on you! I'm making him into such a dickhead, but it's more fun that way! And, yes, Yuki would totally be the one to rape Tamaki in a dark alley -_- Poor Tamaki! Pray for him, will ya?**

**Well, give me some pointers and have a great weekend! I'm so totally going to Wild Waves on Saturday! I don't even care if it's freaking raining! If they don't let me in, I will... poop in the pool next time I'm there! **

**REVIEW!**


	7. A NeverEnding Nights' Dream

**Chapter Seven**

**A Never-Ending Nights' Dream**

* * *

_At a young age, Yuki learned that she was on her own, and, therefore, had to watch over herself. The few hopes of being welcomed into a family vanished as she got older, and she discontinued her search and let a new emotion form entirely: resentment._

_Yuki resented herself. Often times she felt partially responsible that her mother and father didn't want her. Even so, Yuki managed to hide this inner-turmoil very well. To her advantage, she had formed a thick, processed shell of feigned naivety and placidity. Also, there was a certain strained toughness, which even she could identify as fraudulent and childish. She had created such a different person on the outside that at times Yuki wondered who she even was anymore._

_Was she the child who, when provoked into anger or sadness, hid under desks, unable to cope with the world which she was cursed with? Or was she the bad-ass who didn't give a shit, had the IQ of a piece of wood, and attempted nonchalance? Only a precious few could actually see what Yuki was – and those who could see her… the true her. Well, this person frightened Yuki more than anything. Why? Simple: Yuki hadn't quite found that person yet._

* * *

I wished I could just disappear at that very moment.

Haruhi, to the foreign eye, seemed unaffected by my brandish explanation. But only I could see the true disappointment and sadness in her big, brown eyes. She was really upset that I dropped out. "I guess it's your choice, Yuki-senpai." She said this gravely and acidly. "But, what I don't get is what you're doing here?"

I blinked. "I, uh, well… I work here." I admitted, shuffling my feet together. I was seated on a very pink, very plush loveseat, which made me sink in, like quick sand. This must be what the rich feel like – happily drowning in their own wealth. Haruhi stood above me, peering down at me with disease.

Haruhi let a lethargic sigh escape her lips. "Okay." It was the only word which left her lips, and it hurt worse than anything else she ever could have said. "How long have you been working here?" She wondered, and I frowned.

"Since the beginning of the school term…" I murmured. I pitied myself so much, that at times it was increasingly difficult to even wake up in the mornings. I hoped that, given my tone and slumped posture, Haruhi would feel sorry for me, too. Before I knew it, though, there was a burning sensation on my cheek and the loud, astonished gasps of six, handsome males echoing from the outside of the room (they had begrudgingly agreed to giving us some space to talk).

"You're so stupid!" Haruhi growled. Her hand was still in the air, but she lowered it to her side. She clenched it so tight her knuckles turned white. "What is the matter with you, Yuki-senpai? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

I lightly touched my reddened cheek. "I didn't know you were here." I lied.

"Liar!" I glared at the door, very much so tempted to drag the blond haired snitch out by his ear.

"Shut up, boss!

"I thought you wanted them to make-up?"

There was shuffling, a few grunts, and the sound of something breaking.

Haruhi huffed in indignation, ignoring the struggle in the other room. "Make-up? I didn't realize we were on non-speaking terms to begin with." Her eyebrows knitted together. "You really were trying to avoid me, huh? I… I think its best that you leave now."

I leapt up. "H-Haruhi… I…" I reached out for her, but she pulled away from my touch. A brief thought came to me: _she's too pompous to even let me touch her. _But I disregarded it, knowing it not to be the case, although I wished it were. It would make it easier for me to discontinue our friendship – one which I knew was impossible to maintain now that Haruhi was so… out of my league._ Why would she cast her pearls among swine anyway?_

Her bangs hid her eyes, a look I was more than familiar with – given the fact I had disappointed Haruhi a fair share of times. Although I'm sure this was the cherry on top of all my fuck-ups.

"I need time to think, okay?" She walked away, approached the door the hosts were behind, and opened it. All of them, excluding the giant and the bespectacled boy, tumbled to the floor. Haruhi gave the morons' irritated looks, before disappearing into another room, roughly slamming the door shut behind her.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki whispered. He gave me a sad look. "I wonder if she'll forgive you after what you've done to her."

I clenched my jaw together.

"Yeah, you're a really self-centered friend." The two ginger-haired brats examined in unison.

"Yu-chan, maybe you could get Haru-chan a gift basket to make up for your mistake." Honey suggested, and I cringed.

"Fancy tuna." Mori added, stoically.

"It's the least you can do for being so hostile towards my Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed, in a dramatic fashion.

"Or, perhaps, you could assist her in the debt she owes this club, Miss Yamamoto." Kyoya said in that eerily calm tone which caused my skin to crawl.  
"What _debt_?" I demanded.

* * *

I placed the unfolded remains of the final cardboard box in the back of my Crappy Cottage. I leaned it against the rusted brick. It probably was once pink, like the rest of the campus, but was now ruddy and covered in ivy.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, and reentered my small home. Now that I had cleaned it up, I could actually see the floors – wooden planks which had once been shiny hardwood – and torn yellow wallpaper, with stenciled daisies and bumblebees.

On the mattress, which resided in a corner on the floor, there was my plush doll. After cleaning, I had found the small number of belongings sent to me from the orphanage. I brought the Miyabi doll to my chest, squeezing it tightly, and lay there on the springy bed. It had been Haruhi's final present to me.

"8 Million Yen… And I'm the klutz …" I swallowed my nausea at the fear-instilling amount of money my friend had gotten. That beautiful blue vase which shattered and Haruhi's choice of uniform. This horrible, disgusting story all came together now, and it made my impression of the Host Club even more soiled. _How could they, with a clean conscience, be so merciless?_

Of course, it was a no-brainer. I was going to help Haruhi with that outrageous debt. However, the horrible feeling of guilt which now ate away at my sides couldn't be overlooked.

_You could have prevented that from happening if you had told Haruhi the truth from the get go_. The nagging voice mocked me. _If you had told her about what actually happened at Higashi… _My entire body stiffened as the memory flooded my mind. The achiness in my chest – a literal lump in my throat – choked me, and, for a minute, I could barely breathe.

It took me a moment to collect myself again, and, by this point, I was so tired that the moment my eyes shut, they remained so.

In my dreams, I dreamt of Haruhi prancing across a stage in an extravagant, white ballerina dress. Her thick, black eyelashes were garnished with flakes of snow, and her lips were pale, purple. Yue Jr. (impossibly, the spider) danced alongside her, in tight, black spandex. Snow fell over them, and it soon developed under them, although their dance never ended. Even as the snow which Haruhi's small, petite feet touched became tainted with red, the dance ensued. It just went on and on, until finally Haruhi, whose complexion had become nothing but a mirror to the snow, collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.

It had no relevance… I hoped.


End file.
